Annealing box



E. LAVAGNINO ANNEALING BOX May 5, 1925.

Fild Feb. 8, 1925 EMANUEL LAvAqNmo INVENTOR.

I BY -W HIS ATTORNEYS Patented May 5, 1925.

. UNITED STATES.

1,536,406 PATENT OFFICE.

EMANUEL LAVAGNINO, F ELYRIA, OHIO, A SSIGNOR TO THE ELECTED- ALLOYS COM- rANY, or ELYRIA, OHIO,

A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

ANNEALING BOX.

Application filed February 8, 1923. Serial No. 617,799.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMANUEL LAVAGNINO, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elyria, in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Annealing Boxes, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description of-my invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. o

This invention relates to improvements in annealing boxes which are used to enclose and exclude air from the material while being annealed.

In annealing sheets in the steel sheet and plate industry, it is the usual practice to stack the sheets upon a bottom and then place a cast metal cover over the material, with the edges of the open bottom of the shell resting upon the flat bottom of the box. Suitable sealing material is then placed against the meeting portion of the bottomandthe cover, to prevent the entrance of air into the box so formed. The cast cover being large is very heavy and expensive to manufacture and becomes coated with a scale which increases in thickness as it is continued in use, causing a lengthening of the time for the annealing operation due to decreased heat penetration. It is also found that cast covers, after successive use, often become cracked spoiling the annealing operation because of .35 the entrance of air, and necessitating patching which is undesirable.

The main object of my invention resides in constructing the cover of the annealing box of heat resisting sheet alloy. Such a cover does not scale, is quickly heated to the desired temperature, is light and cheap to manufacture, and permits a maximum of annealing operations in a minimum time, due to its thin character.

Another object of my invention resides in a fabricated cover which comprises a shell formed of heat resisting sheet alloy and ahffame which supports and reinforces the s e l.

Another object of my invention resides in the manner of connecting and supporting the shell upon the frame.

Other objects of my invention will appear inthe following specification and claims.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a s de ele ation of my improved shell and frame as sembled together; Fig. 2 is a section of the same taken on line AA in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a section showing the connection between the shell and the frame taken on line B-B of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, 10 represents a cover having an open portion which rests upon a bottom and is sealed therewith by refractory material. The cover encloses a stack of sheet material which is placed upon a bottom, and excludes air therefrom while the ma terial is in the process of being annealed.

The cover 10 consists of a shell 11 formed of a heat resisting sheet alloy, and a reinforcing frame 12 which is secured therewith. Various kinds of alloys may be used to form the heat resisting sheet shell, and I have found that an alloy composed in major part of iron, chromium and nickel with a small percentage of'silicon, carbon and manganese, provides a desirable alloy for this purpose.

Such a sheet shell when formed as a small cover has sufiicient strength to support it self, but when the sheet shell is formed in long lengths, to cover long sheets or plates of steel, as shown, I provide a reinforcing frame 12 to retain the shell in true config uration. The frame consists of a plurality of similar ribs 13, formed preferably in two sections, which conform in shape to the outer wall of the shell 11 and are secured therewith at desired intervals. The adjoining ends of the two. sections of each rib are provided with upstanding flanges 14 which are secured together by bolts 15. The ribs are provided at suitable intervals in the top and sides with bosses 16 which have openings 17 through a portion of the Wall thereof.

The shell 11 has brackets 18 secured by bolts 19 to the outer wall thereof, and each bracket has a projecting supporting member 20 extending centrally therefrom, substantially in alignment with the openings 17 through the bosses on the ribs. The supporting members terminate in downturned ends 21 which extend outside of the rib when assembled.

To assemble the ribs upon the shell the adjoining sections of the ribs are pressed against the shell so that the ends 21 of the supporting members extend through the holes 17, and the supporting members rest upon the lower wall formed by the openings. The adjoining flanges 14 are then bolted together. The manner of securing the brackets to the shell and their connection with the ribs, reduces the strain upon the shell to a minimum. The reinforcing ribs may be placed inside of the shell if desired instead of outside as shown, with the same effect.

The shell described will be light, economicalto manufacture, and will not crack or scale which permits an eflicient, indefinite maximum number of annealing operations.

Various changes may be made in the details of my invention as described without departing from the spirit thereof, or the scope of the claims.

lVhat I claim is 1. A fabricated cover for annealing boxes comprising a shell formed of heat resisting sheet alloy, brackets bolted to said shell, supporting-members having a flanged end formed with said brackets, and a plurality of reinforcing and supporting frames formed in sections secured together around the outer wall of said shell, said frames having openings through which the flanged ends of said supporting members project when the supporting members are in engagement with one of the walls formed thereby.

2. A fabricated cover for annealing boxes comprising a shell formed of heat resisting sheet alloy, supporting brackets bolted to said shell, and a plurality of spaced ribs extending around the outer wall of said shell forming a reinforcing supporting frame therefor, said ribs having openings through which said supporting brackets extend when supported upon a wall formed thereby.

A fabricated cover for annealing boxes comprising a shell formed of a single sheet of heat resisting alloy, a removable frame for supporting and reinforcing said shell comprising a plurality of spaced ribs adapted toengage the outer wall of said shell, and means for securing said ribs With said shell.

4-. A fabricated cover for annealing boxes comprising a shell formed of heat resisting alloy, a plurality of removable spaced supporting ribs surrounding and engaging the exterior wall of said shell, and means for maintainin said ribs with said shell.

5. A fabricated cover for annealing boxes comprising a shell, brackets projecting from the exterior wall of said shell, spaced ribs surrounding the exterior wall of said shell, said ribs being formed in two sections and having apertures therein through which said brackets project to prevent displacement thereof, and means for securing the adjacent ends of the sections of each rib together.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name this 1st day of February,

E. LAVAGNINO. 

